1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle head restraint with reduced chuck when the head restraint is in the upright position.
2. Background Art
Adjustable head restraints for vehicle seats are provided for comfort and safety of an occupant. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,956 B2, which issued on Oct. 14, 2003, discloses an adjustable head restraint with a rod that supports the head restraint and translates relative to sleeves of the seat back.
Another offering of the prior art is a head restraint that is adjustable on posts that extend from the seat back. The posts are received within receptacles of the seat back and the posts are also adjustable relative to the receptacles. The head restraint includes a detent mechanism for maintaining a position of the head restraint relative to the posts; and the receptacles include a locking mechanism for locking the posts relative to the receptacles. Moreover, some variations of the prior art head restraints allow folding.
Although these head restraints of the prior art work reasonably well, the mechanism for folding tends to suffer from vibrations that lead to undesirable buzzing, squeaking, and rattling noises when the head restraint is in the upright position. Noise produced in this manner is often referred to as chuck and may act as a distraction to vehicle occupants. One of the causes of chuck is often due to the design and assembly clearances of the folding mechanism. In addition to the aesthetically displeasing sound produced, chuck also leads to an increased wear and tear on the head restraint folding mechanisms.
Accordingly, for at least these reasons, designs for improved head restraint folding mechanism are desirable.